Clippers edge Grizzlies late, 91-87, in high-stakes battle

Clippers edge Griz late in high-stakes battle

Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, who had 18 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists, is fouled by Clippers guard Willie Green as Memphis’ Zach Randolph moves in during the second half Saturday night at FedExForum.

If the Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers are indeed on a collision course for a first-round matchup when the playoffs begin next weekend, then the trailer they provided makes it a must-see sequel.

The big difference could likely be where they shoot most of the scenes.

Memphis' poor fourth quarter not only led to a 91-87 defeat Saturday night, but the Griz also lost their grip on home-court advantage in the playoffs.

The Clippers earned their fifth straight win and third in a row in Memphis. By escaping a sold out FedExForum with a victory, the Clippers have the identical record (54-26) as the Griz in the Western Conference playoff standings.

Los Angeles, also owner of the tiebreaker, would have home-court advantage over Memphis if the playoffs began today.

None of that, however, means that the Griz are willing to concede any perceived psychological advantage.

"I definitely think we got a sneak peek of what might come next week," Griz point guard Mike Conley said. "They're a good team. But it could have gone either way down the stretch. They know we could have easily beaten them just like they beat us. It's going to be like that in the playoffs."

Their meeting Saturday night was just as drama-filled as the 2012 first-round matchup that ended with the Clippers beating the Griz in the seventh game. Both teams exchanged scoring runs in the fourth quarter, but the game was decided in the final seconds.

The Griz couldn't execute when it mattered most in watching their 13-game home winning streak end.

They trailed 89-87 and had the ball with 18.3 seconds remaining. However, Mike Conley's floater was blocked out of bounds by Clippers center DeAndre Jordan. Then, Conley's post-entry pass intended for Zach Randolph sailed over Randolph's head and allowed Clippers forward Blake Griffin to bat it away.

The Clippers recovered the ball with 3.8 seconds left and Jamal Crawford eventually sank two free throws to seal the Grizzlies' fate.

"They earned the game. They played better than us," Griz coach Lionel Hollins said. "They had less lulls than us. We had a nice little thing going towards the end the third to the beginning of the fourth. Then, I subbed again and we weren't able to maintain."

The Griz ended the third quarter on a 7-0 run and led 73-68 to start the fourth. The Clippers, though, seemed unfazed. They tattooed the Grizzlies defense with 14 unanswered points and took an 86-77 advantage after reserve center Ryan Hollins' alley-oop dunk.

Memphis responded with an 8-0 run and trailed 88-85 with three minutes left. But the Grizzlies' only basket was a Randolph shot in the lane with 23 seconds left. Randolph and Tony Allen missed layups. Allen also misfired on two free throws and Conley missed a 21-foot jump shot.

The Griz scored just 14 points on 6-of-21 shooting in the fourth.

"They were the aggressors," Allen said. "They were more physical. They wanted it more than us."

Hot topic

The Clippers came in leading the league with 9.6 steals per game, and took the ball away in crucial moments in the second half. Los Angeles had nine steals — five in the final 14 minutes. The Clippers scored 17 points off 11 Griz turnovers.

Spotlight

Griz center Marc Gasol nearly had a triple-double, finishing with 18 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists. He had a big third quarter. Gasol picked up eight points and six rebounds in the period after having eight points and six rebounds in the first half.

As the rotation turned

Depth was an issue for the Grizzlies last season when they met the Clippers in the postseason. Los Angeles' bench won out again, outscoring Memphis 40-21. Hollins, Lamar Odom, Eric Bledsoe and Grant Hill were on the floor with Chris Paul when the Clippers went on that decisive 14-0 run in the fourth quarter.

"It was everybody," said Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro, who nearly let every name on his roster roll off the tongue. "The depth really helped us. Like I always talk about, you've got to play big in the biggest moments, and we were able to do a good job defensively in the fourth quarter and hold them down a little bit."

That's what he said

"That's just how it's going to be. We embrace that. We love that and we don't go away. We're not going to step back. Especially me and Zach. We won't go away." — Gasol, talking about the physical play.

Health status

Clippers forward Caron Butler didn't answer the bell for the second half because of a sore right knee. Reserve forward Matt Barnes started the third quarter in place of Butler. Barnes didn't score in the first half, but he grabbed four rebounds to help the Clippers stay even with the Griz on the boards.

Miscellany

The Grizzlies lost three of their four meetings with the Clippers this season. It was the first time since 2005-06 since Memphis lost the season series.